1. Field
The present disclosure pertains to the field of information processing, and more particularly, to the field of security in information processing systems.
2. Description of Related Art
A Trusted Platform Module (“TPM”) is a hardware component that provides a specific set of security functions to an information processing system. These functions include secure key generation and storage and authenticated access to encrypted data. A TPM may be implemented according to specifications such as the TPM Main Specification Version 1.2, published by the Trusted Computed Group and available from the Internet at www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.
The sub-components of a TPM may include an execution engine and secure non-volatile (“NV”) memory or storage. The secure NV memory may be used to store sensitive information, such as encryption keys, and the execution engine may be used to protect the sensitive information according to the security policies dictated by the TPM's control logic. An inherent feature of a TPM is the control logic that implements access controls which prevent unauthorized access to the NV memory. A TPM is typically accessed through a serial bus connection.